Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
The ferrite with composition Cu0.5Fe2.5O4 was heat treated in air and in reducing atmospheres to different temperatures within the solid solution region confirmed by dynamic high-temperautre x-ray characterization. The samples were quenched in oil and air, and lattice parameter, Curie temperature, and saturation magnetization measurements were completed. The magnetization measurements for these samples showed a maximum 4πMs of 0.7729 and 0.5426 T at 10 and 300 K, respectively. The cationic distribution based on the low-temperature 4πMs measurements is (Cu+0.24Fe3+0.76)A[Cu+0.26Fe3+1.74]BO4 → 4.9 µ B. X-ray-pure Cu0.5Fe2.5O4 samples were also synthesized by slow cooling from the formation temperature to 900 °C in a reducing atmosphere. A temperature–PO2 diagram for the stability of Cu0.5Fe2.5O4 under the conditions of the experiment was determined. Low-temperature 4πMs measurements did not indicate an increase in the Cu+ A site occupancy for the samples cooled to 900 °C in a reducing environment above those samples that were quenched from high temperature. Curie temperatures for all Cu0.5Fe2.5O4 samples ranged from 348 to 369 °C. Lithium additions (0.1 mol/unit formula) to copper ferrite Li0.1Cu0.4Fe2.5O4 decreased the room-temperature 4πMs values to 0.5234 T with a corresponding decrease in the 10 K measurements to 0.7047 T. From the low-temperature magnetization measurements, the distribution was (Cu+0.15Fe3+0.85)A[Cu+0.25Li+0.1Fe3+1.65]BO4 → 4.48 µ B.